KVM switches are being used to monitor and enable centralized access to multiple servers or computers from a single set of console peripheral devices (keyboard, mouse and display). KVM switches are using by system administrators to monitor and handle computer and server catastrophic failures.
One of the most critical computer or server failure events is the “Blue Screen of Death” (BSoD). The BSoD is an error screen displayed on a Windows computer system after a fatal system error, also known as a system crash, when the operating system reaches a condition where it can no longer operate safely.
Similar critical failure may occur if the computer or server is booting and fails to pass the BIOS stage. In this case known as “black screen” (Bios Black Screen “BBS), typically an administrator manual intervention is needed in order to recover from the failure as additional reset command may cause loop back to the same situation.
In most cases the administrator will be warned by the user once critical failure occurs. Then, the administrator will access the local or remote KVM console to search for the faulty computer or server by switching to the proper channel.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a protocol-based network management system. It is used to manage TCP/IP-based and IPX-based networks. Information on SNMP can be found in the Internet Request for Comment (RFC) 1157. Microsoft provides an SNMP agent, or client, for Windows NT and Windows 95. Microsoft, however, does not offer any management capabilities. There are third-party companies that offer products specifically designed for SNMP management. SNMP provides the ability to send traps, or notifications, to advise an administrator when one or more conditions have been met. Traps are network packets that contain data relating to a component of the system sending the trap. The data may be statistical in nature or even status related. SNMP traps are alerts generated by agents on a managed device.
Chinese patent application CN 104699615A titled “System failure processing method and device”, discloses a system failure processing method. The method includes: monitoring whether or not a system running in a virtual machine has a blue screen; if yes, ending a virtual machine thread through an external program; configuring the virtual machine through a preset program to start the system from an external storage device; automatically searching for a memory dump file of system blue screen; after finding the memory dump file, backing up the memory dump file to a specified address.
Chinese patent application CN 103049343 A titled: “Method and device for restoring operating system blue screen”, discloses a method comprises the steps of identifying whether bugs recorded in files for restoring system bugs are core files or not and need backup or not through specific fields when the files for restoring system bugs are detected; performing backup of the core files replacing restored files before the bugs needing back up are restored; using the backup core files to cover the restored files causing the blue screen when the restored bugs cause the operating system blue screen.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,873,498 B2 titled: “Remote hardware inspection system and method”, discloses a remote hardware inspection system, including a remote monitor station and a client server. The monitor station includes a hardware inspection unit and a first network interface. The hardware inspection unit is for generating a hardware inspection command which is transmitted to the server by the first network interface. The server includes a second network interface, an input/output unit, and a managing/controlling unit. The input/output unit has an inspection program. The second network interface receives the hardware inspection command and transmits it to the managing/controlling unit. In response to the hardware inspection command, the managing/controlling unit generates and transmits a trigger signal to the input/output unit to implement the inspection program. Thereby, the inspection program writes data into the target hardware of the server according to the content of the hardware inspection command.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,769,172; titled “Secure KVM device ensuring isolation of host computers”; to Aviv Soffer; discloses apparatuses and systems for operating multiple computers from a single console using a secured KVM device, while preventing information leakage between the computers. The system comprises several hosts connected through a secured KVM device to keyboard and mouse and one or more user displays. Secured KVM enables standard bi-directional communication between Secured KVM and user keyboard and mouse and between hosts peripheral ports and Secured KVM. Secured KVM physically enforces unidirectional data flow from attached keyboard and mouse to attached hosts peripheral ports to avoid potential leakages between hosts.
US20110208963; titled: “Secured kvm system having remote controller-indicator” to Aviv Soffer; discloses a KVM switch capable of providing secure remote extension of KVM control and indication functions.
US20130050084; titled “secure KVM system having multiple emulated EDID functions”; to Soffer Aviv; discloses a KVM (Keyboard Video Mouse) device for operation in high security environments. More specifically, this secure KVM allows flexibility of operation of modern displays while maintaining isolation among the connected hosts.